A Geospatial Decision Support System for Drought Risk Management

Drought affects virtually all regions of the world and results in significant economic, social, and environmental impacts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates annual drought-related losses in the United States at $6-8 billion, which is more than any other natural hazard. Congress enacted the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 to encourage the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) and farmers to be more proactive in managing drought risk. Through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Digital Government program, the USDA RMA is working with the University of Nebraska−Lincoln Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) Department, National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), and High Plains Regional Climate Center (HPRCC) to develop new geospatial decision support tools to address agricultural drought hazards and identify regions of vulnerability in the management of drought risk. The goal of this research project is to develop a support system of geospatial analyses that will enhance drought risk assessment and exposure analysis. The tools and technologies developed have been integrated into the National Agricultural Decision Support System (NADSS), http://nadss.unl.edu/